The story of the blind coconut seller

Disability they say is not inability; it is against this backdrop that 52-year-old blind man has defied all odds to sell coconut to fend for his family.

But, Samuel Kwesi Nyedu will not throw his hands in despair.

Nyedu, a 52-year-old blind coconut seller manages to climb and pluck coconut from trees to sell.

According to him, he always trusted in God to see him through, and that has worked perfectly for him.

Speaking to The Spectator, Mr. Nyedu, who lives in Akropong-Akuapem revealed that in his 15 years of climbing and selling coconut, it is only once that he fell from a coconut tree.

According to him, he was descending from the tree and mistakenly stepped on a weak branch which made him fall.

He further revealed that his desire to climb the tree started when a friend he used to pay to climb the tree for him continuously disappointed him. For Nyedu said the attitude of his friend was affecting his business negatively, so he decided to climb it himself.

“All I need is the owner of the coconut to direct me to the tree” he revealed.

Blindness

Sharing his story with the paper, Nyedu said her mother suspected something had been poured into his eyes, three days after his birth and his parents sent him to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital but there was no change in his condition.

This challenging situation compelled him to stop schooling as he lost his sight completely

Coconut business

For Nyedu, all hope was not lost, because he believed that he could make a living regardless of his situation.

He decided to do something for himself, by securing a place at the Akropong School for The Blind to sell confectionaries and others.

Unfortunately for him, the headmaster of the school stopped him from selling at the school.

Family

It was at that point that his wife, Akosua Januah, started the coconut business and later left it for Nyedu to pursue another business.

Nyedu took up the challenge and for the past 15 years, he has been selling coconut to cater for himself and the family.

Throwing more light on the business, Nyedu said he sells a coconut for GH¢2, and on a good day “I sell about GH¢100”.

Nyedu is married with five children- two girls and three boys.

“My wife sells fried yam by my side, and we have been married for 17 years,” he revealed.

Investment

Nyedu, said he would venture into poultry and corn milling business alongside the coconut trade.

His advised other disabled not to throw their hands in despair, but look for something lucrative they can do for a living, instead of resorting to begging for alms.

N.B: The Spectator team presented him with a brand new wheelbarrow to replace the rickety one, and a bag of rice for the family.